Woodinville’s favorite son, Marques Tuiasosopo, has been named Washington’s interim head coach for the team’s upcoming bowl game.

The 34-year-old Tuiasosopo, a former football star from Woodinville High School, is in his first season as UW’s quarterbacks coach. As a player, he and the Huskies went to their last Rose Bowl Championship in 2001, a 34-24 win over Drew Brees and the Purdue Boilermakers. He was also named the Rose Bowl MVP.

Tuiasasopo met with UW athletic director Scott Woodward on December 4th and was offered the opportunity to temporarily fill the vacancy left by Steve Sarkisian, the former head coach.

Sarkisian resigned suddenly on December 2nd to take over as head coach for the USC Trojans.

The Huskies finished the regular season with an 8-4 record, following a 27-17 win in the Apple Cup over the Washington State Cougars. The upcoming bowl game and opponent have yet to be determined.

"I’m humbled and so honored," Tuiasosopo said in a statement. "It’s a great, incredible honor to lead my alma mater in a bowl game.

"We still have a lot to play for this season. I am excited to go out and get a ninth win."

After eight seasons of playing in the NFL, Tuiasosopo was hired by Sarkisian as UW’s assistant strength and conditioning coach in 2009.

Tuiasosopo then left to be a graduate assistant on Rick Neuheisel’s staff at UCLA in 2011, before coaching UCLA’s tight ends in 2012 before returning to Washington for the 2013 season. On December 6th, UW announced the hiring of Boise State coach Chris Petersen to take over the Washington Huskies heading into the 2014 season and beyond. Petersen’s career record with the Broncos is 92-12 and includes two BCS bowl victories